Rev. Chakravarthy Zadda-Ravindra Ph.D
Senior Pastor,
The Reverend Chakravarthy Zadda-Ravindra joined us in April 2017 as our Senior Pastor. Rev. Zadda is a Baptist missiologist* from India, rich in both academic and ministerial experience in multi-cultural settings. (Click on the link below to see a photo.) Before he moved to the United States in 2005, Rev. Zadda served his home church, Stanton Memorial Baptist Church as its Associate Pastor. Along with his ministry with the local Church, he was actively involved in the denominational life of Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC), mission church of ABC-USA. He has provided leadership both at the regional and national levels for the Church in India. Rev. Zadda served The National Council of Churches of India (NCCI) on the Dalit and Adivasi Commission, actively advocating for their rights.
Rev. Zadda is currently serving as the Associate Regional Minister of American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago, empowering the ethnic Churches for the issues of leadership, interfaith-witnessing and justice in the Chicago land area. He also serves on the Ordination Council. Rev. Zadda also worked six years for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago as the Director for International Student Affairs Office, providing academic advising, pastoral care along with transitioning into American culture, before he was asked to oversee the Campus Ministry of ABC Metro Chicago in 2014.
Rev. Zadda also provides leadership for Asian Churches at the national level as the moderator/administration coordinator for the Alliance of Asian American Baptist Churches, providing distinctive envisioning and leadership in the time of structural transition.
As the Danker Foundation Scholar and The Grover Wright Scholar, Rev. Zadda received PhD in World Christianity and Missions from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2015. Engaging the American Baptist theological thinking, Rev. Zadda is part of the Emerging Theologians Task Force of ABC USA. He has lectured in the area of missiology at both Baptist and Lutheran seminaries in United States and in India. His research interests include missiology, the history of evangelical & ecumenical movements, world religions and interfaith witnessing, and modern history of India. He has published his work through Wipf & Stock Publishing House along with the team of contemporary missiologists in the book entitled Expect Great Things, Attempt Great Things. Currently Rev. Zadda teaches at Northern Theological Seminary as an Adjunct faculty.
Rev. Dr. Zadda is married to Chosen Glory, who is a software engineer and also currently a student of theology. He is blessed with two children, Richie S Arthur and Reshma S Shakaina. While Richie is in College, Reshma is pursuing her high school education.
Email Rev. Zadda: revzadda@firstbaptistwaukesha.com
* Missiology can be defined as “the science of the cross-cultural communication of the Christian faith.” In the Great Commission, the Lord Jesus told us to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). That command forms the crux of missiology, as it seeks to understand and explain biblical values for evangelism, such as the role of culture in giving the message, both declaring and demonstrating the message of the gospel as it goes “into all the world.”
Three disciplines direct and enable the study of missiology: theology, anthropology , and history. Missiology seeks to intelligently articulate the gospel and its power to change lives in a culturally appropriate context.